Tooele fire destroys sheds, damages homes — residents grateful it wasn’t worse

TOOELE — A fast-moving fire tore through a Tooele neighborhood Wednesday evening, destroying three sheds and damaging five homes. Crews arrived just after 6:30 p.m. to find flames shooting from a backyard.

Fire officials said the cause is still under investigation, but the homeowner believes netting from his awning may have blown onto a still-hot charcoal grill, sparking the blaze.

“I heard something pop in the backyard,” said John Lane, “I went out and our big shed was burning.”

Lane and his wife had finished dinner a couple of hours earlier when the fire broke out.

“It went real fast,” Lane said. “I was out there and those things started hissing — that’s when they started to explode,” he said.

Lane said propane tanks and a gas grill were near the shed. He tried to put out the flames with a hose, but the fire spread too quickly.

“That’s when everybody started yelling through the front door, ‘Get out of your house,’” he told KSL TV.

Tooele City Fire Department Captain Brian Steward said crews arrived within minutes.

“When the first engine arrived, we attacked the shed,” Steward said.

Despite the destruction of three sheds and damage to five homes, no injuries were reported. Firefighters acted quickly, and residents said it could have been much worse.

“I’m just grateful that my house — a little bit of damage — it didn’t burn my house down,” Kim Lane said.

Gas service was cut to the affected homes while crews worked to mop up hot spots. The displaced homeowners are staying with family tonight.

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This story is developing and will be updated as further information is made available.